Paramedics say a swimmer is “extremely lucky” to be alive after a shark attack near Sydney’s Manly Beach left him with a deep gash to his leg.

According to witnesses, Peter Schultz suffered the leg injury, a puncture wound to his torso and cuts to his back and stomach while he was swimming with a group at Shelly Beach before sunrise on Tuesday.

The well-known ocean swimmer, who is part of Manly’s Bold and Beautiful swimming club, was taken to Royal North Shore Hospital for treatment.
shark attack manly beach

Danny Lucas was also swimming at the beach on Tuesday morning and told ABC Radio Sydney there was initial confusion about the attack.

“We were about three-quarters of the way to Shelly Beach when our group stopped and said someone was calling out,” he said.

“We couldn’t really see anything.

“But then we realised our friend had managed to actually swim to shore and was yelling for us to get out because he had been bitten by a shark.

“He had lacerations to the stomach and to the back and then a deep gash down his left leg.”

Mr Lucas said people called an ambulance after Mr Schultz got out of the water.

“There was a reasonable amount of blood on the footpath and there were a number of passers-by who were looking after him and calling the ambulance,” he said.

“He [Mr Schultz] was very lucid and kept a good sense of humour, we were chatting to him.”

NSW Ambulance acting inspector said Mr Schultz’s injuries were not life threatening.

“He is extremely lucky,” he said.

“We know this could have been a lot more serious than it was.”

The NSW Department of Primary Industries said shark biologists were working to determine the size and species involved.

NSW Police said no shark had been spotted in the area.

Mr Lucas said Mr Schultz did not see the shark.

“He just said he felt it, then waited a few seconds to see if it was going to come back,” he said.

A swimmer was rushed to hospital on Tuesday morning after a suspected shark attack on Sydney’s Northern Beaches.

Peter Schultz, a 53-year-old member of the Bold and Beautiful swimming group in Manly, had been swimming with friends when he was bitten by a shark.

He was able to swim to some nearby rocks and raise the alarm, and was helped by passing runners.

Mr Schultz’s friend Danny Lucas told ABC the experienced ocean swimmer was suffering ‘lacerations to the stomach and to the back and then a deep gash down his left leg’.

‘There was a reasonable amount of blood on the footpath and there were a number of passers-by who were looking after him and calling the ambulance,’ he said.

‘He was very lucid and kept a good sense of humour, we were chatting to him.’

Paramedics were called to the boardwalk between Manly Beach and Shelly Beach about 5.50am and took the man to the Royal North Shore Hospital in a stable condition, as police and lifeguards urged other surfers out of the water.

Manly resident Ben Smith told Daily Mail Australia he was jogging in the area about 6.15am when he heard police sirens, and headed to the beach to see what was happening.

‘Quite a few police and lifeguards were there, telling all the surfers to stay out of the water,’ he said.

‘The shark siren went off about 6.40.’

Police say the man had been swimming with friends, and was able to reach nearby rocks and raise the alarm before he was helped out of the water.

‘No shark has been sighted at this time and it is unknown how his puncture wound was sustained,’ a spokesperson said.

Mr Lucas said his friend had not seen the shark, but had felt it moving through the water.